Tournaments

Tournaments allow students to compete for trophies and medals and are a lot of fun. There are several area tournaments that students are welcome to attend, but are completely optional. Check http://www.utahchess.com/tournaments/ for a complete list. Willow Springs chess tries to run a tournament each year in the spring.

What to Expect at a Chess Tournament

No Elimination – Earn Points Instead

Every chess tournament we have seen uses the Swiss tournament system. It is similar to a round-robin tournament, but with a limited number of rounds. Players are not eliminated if they lose. The winner of the game is awarded 1 point. If the game is a draw, each player is awarded half a point. Most scholastic chess tournaments consist of 5 rounds. (The state championship has 6 rounds.)

Pairings

Before each round the pairings for that round are posted. The pairings indicate a table number where the game is to take place, the color assigned to the player (white or black), and the player’s opponent. For the first round the pairings may be random or based on USCF rating. For the subsequent rounds, players are matched against opponents with similar point totals. Generally tournaments try to avoid pairing players from the same school.

Sections

Students play against other students in their section. Scholastic tournaments usually combine 2 or 3 grades to form a section. For example, a K-3 section means a kindergartner could play against a third grader, but not a fourth grader. For the state championship there are enough students to have a separate section for each grade.

Waiting and Watching

Tournaments have one or more playing areas, where the matches take place, and a waiting area called the “skittles room” where players wait for the next round. Depending on the tournament, parents and other spectators may or may not be allowed in the playing area. There can be a lot of down time between rounds while players wait for all the games to finish. Players and parents might want to bring something to occupy their time while they wait. (You can always play more chess!)

No Helping!

When spectators are allowed in the playing area, they are NOT allowed to help a player. Generally they should only watch from a distance, usually behind or to the side where they are not in sight of the player. Spectators are NOT allowed to communicate with a player in any way. They are not allowed to correct the player if he/she makes an illegal move. The players are on their own during the match. Students playing matches nearby must also observe these restrictions.

Players Enforce the Rules

It is the player’s responsibility to ensure that the game is played properly. If an opponent makes an illegal move, takes two turns in a row, etc. it is the player’s responsibility to catch the mistake and correct it. If they are playing with a clock it is the player’s responsibility to state when their opponent is out of time. Parents: If your child is shy, you may need to prepare them for this element of tournament play. If they disagree but don’t speak up before reporting the win/loss, it’s too late. We’ve seen a lot of tears when students have learned this lesson the hard way.

Help is There If Needed

If there is ever a disagreement or question, the player may raise his or her hand for assistance and a tournament official will help resolve the dispute or answer the question. The official will never point out moves, give suggestions, or point out a checkmate. The official can explain what a checkmate is, and help the players identify this on their own. The official can make a ruling on the legality of a move, if the student asks “is this a legal move?”

Players Agree on the Results

The game ends when both players agree on the outcome. Ideally both players identify a true check-mate or stalemate, but beginners often don’t “see” a way out of check and concede a little early-that is okay. Whatever the players decide together is how they will be scored. The chess board should not be cleared until both players are in agreement. A player may concede defeat at any time. Likewise, a player may offer a draw at any time. As long as there is agreement, the results stand.

At the conclusion of the game, the opponents should shake hands and then proceed together to the scorer’s table to report the results of the game.

Rules

Tournaments (and good chess etiquette) enforce the “touch move, touch take” rule. This rule states that if you touch one of your pieces, you must move it. If you touch an opponent's piece, you must capture it if you can legally do so. Once a player releases a piece their move is over. They can’t take it back. So it’s important that players don’t touch anything until they are sure of their move.

Awards

Tournaments can present awards for the top scoring players in each section, or in each grade, or sometimes both. Often there are ties in the number of points earned. There are formulas that can be used as tie-breakers, such as a players rating and how a players opponents performed against other students.

Be Prepared!

There is a way to get someone in checkmate in very few moves called scholar’s mate. Players should know how to defend against scholar’s mate to prevent some quick defeats. It is important to come with a positive attitude and not get discouraged with losses. Earning only 1 point your first tournament is very common and should be viewed as a success.

You may want to bring a snack. Sometimes food is sold – check the tournament flyer.

Advice

For players who are comfortable doing so, we recommend that they record all moves (both their own and their opponent’s) using algebraic notation. Without such a record there is no proof of who is correct if there is a disagreement concerning whose turn it is, where a piece was, etc. If recording the game is too distracting, then it’s probably better to not do it.

Inexperienced players should probably not request a bye. The bye will give them a point, but will make it harder for them to win their other games since they will be paired with others who won their previous game.